US20040081426A1 - Broadcasting system with means to label programs being recorded and to display the label information - Google Patents

Abstract

A digital multimedia recorder that makes good use of EPG data to have at least one of the following capabilities of: (a) selecting a program to be played from a displayed program guide for recorded programs; (b) including, in the displayed program guide, program information on programs relating to each of the recorded programs thereby to permit the user to program the recorder to record a selected one of the related program; (c) recording a plurality of programs broadcast at the same time; (d) record a multi-channel program whose channel configuration changes in the middle of the program so as to support the capability (a); and (e) playing a recorded program within a limit prescribed in a contract with a provider. The information includes information on related programs, if any (which are related with each program), and information on recommended programs which a broadcasting party recommends to the subscribers.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of the Invention[0001]
• The invention generally relates to a broadcasting system and more particularly to a multimedia recorder with recorded program management functions based on EPG data, a TV receiver provided with such a recorder, and a system for supporting such functions in a broadcasting equipment.[0002]
• 2. Description of the Prior Art[0003]
• Generally, in digital broadcasting systems, at least one broadcasting station broadcasts a transport stream (TS) defined in MPEG-2 (Moving Picture Experts Group II) standard. The transport stream (or a physical channel) includes a plurality of (logical) channels in a time-division-multiplexed form. Each logical channel includes many programs. Each program comprises at least one video subchannel, at least one audio subchannel and/or at least one data subchannel. Program specific information (PSI) and service information (SI) on each program are frequently inserted in the TS.[0004]
• Such digital broadcasting systems usually provide far many channels as compared with analog broadcasting systems and accordingly an enormous number of programs. This makes channel or program selection difficult. In order to facilitate program selection, information on programs is transmitted as EPG (Electronic Program Guide) enabling the subscribers to select a program to watch and to program a VCR (video cassette recorder) to record a desired program by displaying a program schedule and selecting the desired program through a remote controller.[0005]
• If one of the recorded programs is to be played in conventional video recorder such as a VCR, then the user often takes a lot of time to find a desired one of recorded programs recorded on recording medium. The user may even forget the programs he or she recorded in a recording medium. In this case, the user has to search the recording media to see what programs are recorded on the recording media if he or she has not made notes at the recording times.[0006]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• The invention is directed to solving this and other problems and disadvantages of the prior art. It is an object of the invention to provide a digital multimedia recorder that makes good use of EPG data to have at least one of the following capabilities of:[0007]
• (a) selecting a program to be played from a displayed program guide for recorded programs;[0008]
• (b) including, in the displayed program guide, program information on programs relating to each of the recorded programs thereby to permit the user to program the recorder to record a selected one of the related program;[0009]
• (c) recording a plurality of programs broadcast at the same time;[0010]
• (d) record a multi-channel program whose channel configuration changes in the middle of the program so as to support the capability (a); and[0011]
• (e) playing a recorded program within a limit prescribed in a contract with a provider.[0012]
• Generally, information on programs such as EPG is referred to as “program information.” Hereinafter, it is assumed that the program information includes information necessary for extracting a desired program from the received TS's, information on each program, information on related programs, if any (which are related with each program), and information on recommended programs which a broadcasting party recommends to the subscribers.[0013]
• According to one aspect of the invention, a method of managing recorded programs recorded in a recording medium in a broadcasting system is provided. The broadcasting system comprises at least one transmitter and a plurality of terminals. Each transmitter broadcasts a data stream. A plurality of channels is multiplexed into each data stream. Each channel comprises a plurality of programs. Each transmitter includes, in the data stream, program information on the programs available in the broadcasting system. Each terminal permits a user to select a desired one of the programs; adds the selected program to a recording queue which keeps program-identifying data sets in order of broadcast start time; records on the recording medium a program identified by one of the program-identifying data sets in a first position of the recording queue; records a program information record of the recorded program in a predetermined area on the recording medium; in response to a reception of a playing request from the user; displays a program guide for the recorded programs recorded on the recording medium; prompts the user to select one of said recorded programs for play; in response to the user selecting one of the recorded programs, plays the selected recorded program to provide video and/or audio output(s).[0014]
• According to another aspect of the invention, a multimedia reproducer for reproducing recorded programs recorded on a recording medium is provided. Program information comprising program information (PI) records associated with said recorded programs is also recorded on the recording medium. The multimedia reproducer comprises: means, responsive to a reception of a reproducing request from the user, for displaying a program guide for the recorded programs and prompting the user to select one of the recorded programs for play; and means, response to the user selecting one of the recorded programs, for reproducing the selected recorded program.[0015]
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
• The features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention and the accompanying drawing, in which:[0016]
• FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an exemplary arrangement of a digital[0017]multimedia broadcasting system100 according to the principles of the invention;
• FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing an arrangement of an illustrative embodiment of a digital multimedia disc recorder which is according to the invention and which is used as the[0018]recorder5 of FIG. 1;
• FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an exemplary manner of creating a program information table[0019]32 stored in thestorage device20;
• FIG. 4 is a diagram showing two[0020]exemplary records32rof the PI table32t.
• FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an exemplary structure of a recommended program list according to the principles of the invention;[0021]
• FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an recording operation executed by the[0022]controller19 in response to the user pressing a request button for programmed recording;
• FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the contents of the[0023]recording queue45;
• FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an exemplary structure of a recorded[0024]program information record47 of a recorded program which record is recorded in a predetermined location of therecording medium9 and which is stored in the recorded program information table47 stored in thestorage device20;
• FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an exemplary RPI (recorded program information) recorded on the[0025]recording medium9 according to the invention;
• FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a exemplary label printing operation executed in response to a printing request from the user;[0026]
• FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an RPI table maintenance operation executed in response to a loading the[0027]TS recorder13 with arecording medium9;
• FIG. 12 is a diagram for describing an exemplary video rental data registration operation according to the invention;[0028]
• FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a exemplary playing operation executed by the controller in response to a pressing of a play button of the man-[0029]machine interface21 in accordance with the principles of the invention;
• FIG. 14 is a schematic block diagram showing an arrangement of an illustrative embodiment of a digital multimedia tape recorder which is according to the invention and which is used as the[0030]recorder5 of FIG. 1;
• FIG. 15 is a diagram conceptually showing an example of a transport stream to be recorded;[0031]
• FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a periodically executed operation of adjusting the frequency of the PI's inserted in the recorded TS in recording operation;[0032]
• FIG. 17 is a diagram conceptually showing another example of a transport stream to be recorded;[0033]
• FIG. 18 is a[0034]diagram showing steps371 and372 which is used in place ofstep272 in playing operation of atape recorder5aof FIG. 14;
• FIG. 19 is a schematic block diagram showing a simplified version of the digital multimedia disc recorder of FIG. 2; and[0035]
• FIG. 20 is a schematic block diagram showing an arrangement of an illustrative embodiment of a digital multimedia player according to the principles of the invention.[0036]
• Throughout the drawing, the same elements when shown in more than one figure are designated by the same reference numerals.[0037]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
• FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an exemplary arrangement of a digital[0038]multimedia broadcasting system100 according to the principles of the invention. In FIG. 1, the digitalmultimedia broadcasting system100 comprises at least onebroadcasting transmitter1, atransmission medium2 and a multiplicity ofreceiver terminals5 such as a digital multimedia recorder, a digital TV with a recording capability, and any other terminal with digital broadcast receiving and recording capabilities. Thebroadcasting station1 preferably transmits, through thetransmission medium2, a modulated signal of a transport stream (TS) defined in the MPEG-2 standard. The transmission medium may be any of a satellite, the terrestrial air and cables. The digitalmultimedia broadcasting system100 may optionally include one or morevideo rental center3, which comprises acomputer30 and a telephone line interface (IF)31 for permitting thecomputer30 to communicate with theterminal5 through a public switchedtelephone network4. Thecenter3computer30 creates and stores a record of a rented video title, information on a customer, and the term of validity or the number of permitted plays for the title in response to a rental request from aterminal5, and informs theterminal5 of the term of validity or the remaining number of permitted plays in response to a request for playing a rented video title.
• FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing an arrangement of an illustrative embodiment of a digital multimedia disc recorder which is according to the invention and which is used as the[0039]recorder5 of FIG. 1. In FIG. 2 thedisc recorder5 comprises atuner10 for receiving a plurality of broadcast signals from thebroadcasting stations1; a TS processor (M→N)11 having its input connected with atuner10 output; aTS packetizer12 having its input connected with aTS processor11 output; aTS disc recorder13 having its recording input connected with aTS packetizer12 output; a one-of twoselector14 having it two inputs connected with aTS disc recorder13 output and a node between theTS processor11 output and the TS packetizer12 input; aTS processor15 having its input connected with aselector14 output; a video andaudio decoder16 having its input connected with aTS processor15 output; an NTSC/PAL encoder17 having its input connected with adecoder16 video output; and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC)18 having its input connected with adecoder16 audio output.
• The digital[0040]multimedia disc recorder5 further comprises acontroller19 that includes astorage device20; a man-machine interface21 for enabling the user to control therecorder5; atelephone interface22 connected with thePSTN4; alabel printer23; and abus24 for enabling communications among theelements10 through16 and18 through23. The man-machine interface21 includes a remote controller.
• The[0041]TS recorder13 of thedisc recorder5 is adapted for a removabledisc storage medium9, e.g., an optical disc, a magnetic disc cartridge, etc. As for information of each of broadcast programs recorded in arecording medium9, thedisc recorder5 preferably not only keeps it in thestorage device20 as long as the program is being stored in therecording medium9 but also records it at a predetermined location of therecording medium9. This permits therecording medium9 to be played inother disc recorder5 of the same kind. For this purpose, theTS recorder13 records TS's on arecording medium9 such that therecording medium9 has a program information area of a predetermined size at a predetermined location.
• As seen from just above paragraph, the[0042]storage device9 is preferably a nonvolatile memory or a battery backed-up RAM (random assess memory).
• FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an exemplary manner of creating a program information table[0043]32 stored in thestorage device20. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the operation of themultimedia disc recorder5 will be described in the following. The broadcast signals (physical channels) from thebroadcasting stations1 are received by thetuner10. Thetuner10 selectively demodulates one of the received broadcast signals (which include respective transport streams TS1, TS2, . . . ) into a transport stream TSi (i: a TS number) according to a TS selection instruction from thecontroller19. It is assumed that a transport stream TSi includes M logical channels in a well-known time-division-multiplexed manner. TheTS processor11 supplies, to theTS packetizer12, packets for N logical channels selected according to a channel selection instruction from thecontroller19, where M is the number oflogical channels 1 in the selected transport stream TSi, and N is the number of selected logical channels. So, N≦M.
• (In this document, the terms “physical channel” and “logical channel” mean a TS and a channel included in a TS, respectively. If the term “channel” is simply used, it means “logical channel.”)[0044]
• The[0045]TS processor11 outputs program information (PI)31 on thebus24 in response to a PI request from thecontroller19. Theprogram information31 obtained from the schedule EIT (Event Information Table defined in the DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting)) of TSi includes basic PI for all the programs provided through all the available channels CH1, CH2, . . . , CH100 (it is assumed that 100 (logical) channels are available in this specific broadcasting system100) and detailed PI for the programs provided through the M logical channels in TSi.
• The[0046]controller19 updates the program information table32 by using the program information from theTS processor11. Each record of the program information table has astructure32 as shown in FIG. 3. Specifically, each record comprises a programserial number131 therecorder5 assigns uniquely to each program when program information for the program is received for the first time, achannel ID132 unique to the channel, atitle133 of the program, broadcast time anddate134, asubtitle135, a broadcast count in a serial136 which is optionally used for programs in serial form, acategory code137 that contains a category code indicative of the category of the program,time period138 during which a channel configuration of the program is valid, achannel configuration139 which indicates channels constituting the program during thecorresponding time period138,further details140 on the program, and label information141 (detailed later). Each record of the program information table32 further includes arental code142 indicative of rental conditions of the program and a center phone number143 (in case of a program for rental) in order to enable rental video business through thedigital broadcasting system100 in a manner as detailed later. It is noted that thestorage device20 stores a category table (not shown) that associates category codes with corresponding category name.
• The program[0047]serial number131 is expressed in such a limited number of digits as can be used for sufficiently larger number. When thenumber131 reaches a possible maximum number, thenumber131 is set to, e.g., one at the time of registration of the next program.
• The fields with the left side drawn in a double line in FIG. 3 can have multiple values as shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing two[0048]exemplary records32rof the PI table32t.
• In FIG. 4, the record “100123” for a program which is titled “Dora the vagrant” and which is to be broadcast from 20:00 to 20:54 on Jun. 2, 1999 has three additional values for each of the[0049]fields134 through136. Doing this enable a program information for one program to inform the subscribers of the subsequent three broadcasts (i.e., the fourth, fifth and sixth broadcasts of 15 serialized programs in this example) of the serial “Dora the vagrant.” The title fields133 for the additional program information has no values because the additional information is for serialized programs. However, program information for any related programs of different types may be included in each record by containing a title in thetitle field133.
• On the other hand, the[0050]record 100234 for a program which is titled “NFL 99: The Super bowl” and which is to be broadcast from 18:00 to 20:59 on Jun. 2, 1999 has one additional value for each of thefields138 and139. This means that the channel configuration of the program No. 100234 changes once in the middle of the period from 18:00 to 20:59.Specifically, theprogram 100234 is broadcast through three video channels and three audio channels for the first 120 minutes from the beginning (i.e., for a period from 18:00 to 19:59) and then through three video channels and four audio channels for the subsequent 60 minutes (i.e., for a period from 18:00 to 18:59). This enables the subscribers to select a desired combination of video and audio channels for a multi-channel program (which means a program which is broadcast through more than one optional channels for video, audio or each of video and audio in this document).
• In this example, a period for which a certain channel configuration is defined is expressed in terms of relative start and end times from the beginning of the program. However, the period may be identified by a start value and an end values expressed in terms of relative positions from the beginning of the program on the recording medium.[0051]
• Though in just described example a multi-channel program is comprised of a video channel and an audio channel, a program may include a data channel. It should be noted that a program may be comprised of only one or more data channel.[0052]
• A broadcasting party is also permitted to include a recommended program list associated with a logical channel or a program in a table, which we have defined and we call “Event Collection Table” or “ECT”. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an exemplary structure of a recommended[0053]program list40. The recommendedprogram list40 comprises alist title41, avalid period42 of thelist41 and at least one record comprising thechannel ID132 and the broadcast time anddate134. Since the combination of thechannel ID132 and the broadcast time anddate134 is used for identifying a program record associated with thechannel ID132 and the broadcast time anddate134, information contained in any fields of the record of the program identified by thechannel ID132 and the broadcast time anddate134 can be displayed.
• It is noted that the broadcasting party is permitted to set a valid period to the[0054]list40. When the recommendedprogram list40 is displayed at 9:00 on 9 Feb. 1998, only the programs that begins after 9:00 on 9 Feb. 1998 are displayed, i.e., only the second and subsequent programs of the list whose valid period includes the time 9:00 and thedate 9 Feb. 1998 are displayed.
• When the broadcasting of a program has been completed, the[0055]controller19 deletes not only the record for the just broadcast program from the program information table32 but also recommended program lists40, if any, that contain the channel and program IDs for the just broadcast program as the program to be last broadcast in the list.
• Recording Operation[0056]
• FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an recording operation executed by the[0057]controller19 in response to the user pressing a request button for programmed recording. Instep201, thecontroller19 first displays a program guide table based on the program information table32 and lets the user select one of the displayed programs. It should be noted that the user is permitted to select a desired number of channels for any identical time period as long as the channels are of an identical TS, e.g., even all the logical channels in a physical channel.
• In[0058]step202, thecontroller19 adds a data set (i.e., the values of thechannel ID field132 and the broadcast time & date field134) of the selected program to arecording queue45 of FIG. 7. The data sets are preferably arranged in order of broadcast start time in the recording queue.
• In[0059]step203, a test is made to see if it is time to record. This step is repeated until it becomes a recording time of an earliest program in thequeue45. If the time is reached instep203, thecontroller19 records the earliest program in thequeue45 by informing thetuner10 and theTS processor11 of the transport stream and the channel IDs to receive and sending suitable instructions to the TS packetizer12 and the TS recoder13 instep204. Alternatively, if the user operates the controller or the man-machine interface21 in a predetermined manner to record the receiving program, thecontroller19 also records the receiving program by simply sending the suitable instructions to the TS packetizer12 and the TS recoder13 instep204. In either case, the TS packetizer12 packetizes the received packet stream (PES (Packetized Elementary stream) packets in the MPEG-2 standard) into a TS packet stream, which is then recorded by theTS recorder13 in therecording medium9.
• On completing the recording of the program, in[0060]step205, thecontroller19 adds a record to the recorded program information table47 as shown in FIG. 8; stores values in themedium ID field146 and therecording location field147; copies the fields132-143 from the table32 to the table47; and deletes the copied record from the table32. A recorded program serial number is assigned by thecontroller19 to each of the recorded programs in the recorded order. Thecontroller19 also assigns a medium (or volume) ID to each of therecording media9 on which therecorder5 has recorded any program even once.
• In[0061]step206, thecontroller19 makes a test to see if the recorded program is the first one for therecording medium9. If so, adigital multimedia recorder5 ID stored in, e.g., a not-shown ROM (read only memory) within thecontroller19 is recorded in a predetermined location on therecording medium9 instep207. Otherwise, the controlled is passed to step208.
• In[0062]step208, the controller109 records the added recorded in the recorded program information table47 and a recommendedprogram list40, if any, for the program in the predetermined location of therecording medium9. Instep209, thecontroller10 makes a test to see if the queue is empty. If so, thecontroller19 ends the operation. Otherwise, thecontroller19 returns to step203.
• In this way, a specified program and recorded program information (RPI) for the program are recorded on the[0063]recording medium9 as shown in FIG. 9. This enables arecording medium9 recorded by onerecorder5 to be played inother recorder5 of the same kind.
• If the RPI for all of the programs recorded by the[0064]recorder5 is stored in thestorage device20, then using any suitable database management system and including key words in each RPI record of the table47 facilitates the management of the recorded programs such as the retrieval of recorded program.
• Turning now to FIG. 2, in recording operation, the[0065]switch14 is kept to b-side. It is noted that the user is permitted to select one of the M logical channels of the received TSi for watching as well as above-mentioned N channels for recording. In this case, thecontroller19 controls theTS processor15 to supply the selected channel for watching to the video &audio decoder16.
• Printing a Label[0066]
• According to the principles of the invention, the[0067]broadcasting transmitter1 preferably includeslabel information141 in the program information for programs for rental. Thelabel information141 of a program includes texts on the program and one or more icons. The label information may be printed on a label or seal, which is stuck on the recording medium on which the program has been recorded. Alternatively, The label information may be printed directly on the recording medium. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a exemplary label printing operation executed in response to a printing request from the user. Instep211, a test is made to see if amedium9 is loaded in theTS recorder13. If so, thecontroller19 displays program information of the program recorded on the medium9 instep212 and asks the user instep213 if the medium is a correct one. If not, or if the test result is NO instep211, thecontroller19 prompt the user to load theTS recorder13 with a desiredmedium9 instep214 and returns to step211.
• If the test result is YES in[0068]step213, thecontroller19 displays labelinformation141 including a list of printable items instep215, prompts the user to select desired items instep216, and asks the user if it is OK. If not, the control is returned to step216. If it is OK instep217, thecontroller19 pass the data the user selected to thelabel printer218 to print as specified by the user instep218, and ends the operation.
• RPI Table Maintenance Operation[0069]
• FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an RPI table maintenance operation executed in response to a loading the[0070]TS recorder13 with arecording medium9. If the user inserts arecording medium9 into theTS recorder13, thecontroller19 starts the operation of FIG. 11. Instep222, thecontroller19 makes a test to see if the recorder ID stored in themedium9 coincides with that of stored in the above-mentioned ROM (not shown) within thecontroller19. If not, then thecontroller19 simply copies the RPI records47 and the recommended program lists from themedia9 to a reserved space in thestorage device20 instep232, and ends the operation. Thereafter, the copied data is used in subsequent operation.
• If the test result is YES in[0071]step222, then thecontroller19 makes another test instep224 to see if there are any programs that have been deleted (by other recorder5). If any, thecontroller19 deletes the RPI records for the deleted programs from the RPI table47 instep226, and makes further test instep228 to see if there are any programs that have been added (by other recorder5). If so, thecontroller19 copies the RPI records for the added programs from the medium9 to the RPI table47 instep230, and ends the operation. If the test result is NO instep228, thecontroller19 simply ends the operation.
• This operation causes the RPI table[0072]47 to reflect the contents of therecording media9 that have been used in thedigital multimedia recorder5.
• Application for a Video Rental[0073]
• According to the principles of the invention, some of the programs are for rental. Information on whether a program is for rental or not is displayed when the program guide for the program is displayed according to the[0074]rental code142 of the RPI record for the program. Therental code142 indicates the state of the program with respect to video rental as shown in the table below.

  	TABLE
  	rental code

  	0	1	2

  state

  not for

  for rental

  		rental	yet	applied
  			applied	for rental

• If the user finds from the program guide that a program is for rental, he or she may desires to rent the program. In order to apply for a rental of the program, the user presses a predetermined rental button of the man-machine IF[0075]21 while selecting a desired program. Responsively, a video rental data registration operation of FIG. 12 is started. In FIG. 12, thecontroller19 places a call to avideo rental center3 using thecenter phone number143 contained in the RPI record for the program instep240. In response to a reception of the call, thecomputer30 of thevideo rental center3 sends default and optional data to therecorder5 instep242. Responsively, thecontroller19 displays the received data and prompts the user to select a desired limit value instep244. Instep246, thecontroller19 sends the selected value and a credit card number of the user to thecenter3. Instep248, thecontroller19 sets therental code142 to 2, and sets the permitted play count148 or theexpiration date149 based on the selected limit value, and then ends the operation. Also, thecenter3computer30 charges to the user's account instep250 and ends the operation.
• Operation of Playing or Reproducing a Recorded Program[0076]
• FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a exemplary playing (or reproducing) operation executed by the controller in response to a pressing of a play button of the man-[0077]machine interface21 in accordance with the principles of the invention. In FIG. 12, thecontroller19 makes a test instep262 to see if theTS recorder13 is loaded with arecording medium9. If not, the controller prompts the user to set a desiredmedium9 or to select a retrieval of a program instep264. If the user has selected the retrieval, thecontroller19 let he or she find arecording medium9 containing his or her desired program instep268. If a seekingrecording medium9 is found, it will be loaded into theTS recorder13.
• If the user loads the[0078]TS recorder13 afterstep264 or268, thecontroller19 executes the RPI table47maintenance operation220 instep270. Instep272, the controller displays a recorded program guide for the recorded programs of the medium9 including related program schedule (from fields133-136 of RPI table47) and recommended program lists relating to recorded programs or channels, while permitting the user to select a program to record and prompting the user to select a program to play or reproduce. In this case, each recommended program list may include various information that can be obtained from the program information table32 by using thechannel ID132 and the broadcast time &date134. Instep274, the user can select either a program to record or a program to play.
• If the user selects a program to play in[0079]step274, thecontroller19 executesstep202 of FIG. 6 and returns to step272.
• If the user selects a program to play in[0080]step274, thecontroller19 checks therental code142 instep276. It should be noted that selecting a program includes selecting channels from the available subchannels for the program. The available subchannels are obtained from thefields139 of the program information table32 or the RPI table47.
• If the rental code is zero, meaning that the program is not for rental, i.e., an ordinary broadcast program, then the[0081]controller19 simply play the program instep278. Specifically, thecontroller19 set theswitch14 to the a side so as to connect theTS recorder13 output with theTS processor15 input, and controls theTS processor15 to supply packets for the channel selected instep274 to the video andaudio decoder16, the outputs from which are converted into such signals as are adapted to a television (TV). The programs reproduced from therecording media9 can be supplied to external TV's and video recorders.
• If the rental code is one, meaning that the program is for rent and has to be registered for rent, then the[0082]controller19 informs the user to the effect instep280, and asks the user instep282 if the user desires either to apply for the rental of the program or to quit simply. In the latter case, thecontroller19 ends the operation. In the former case, thecontroller19 executes the application operation of FIG. 12, and ends the operation.
• If the rental code is two, meaning that the program is for rent and has been registered for rent, then the[0083]controller19 makes a test to see if the registered condition is still valid referring to the permittedplay count148 and theexpiration date149 instep286. If so, thecontroller19 plays the selected program instep288. If theexpiration date149 field had a valid value instep286, thecontroller19 ends the operation. If the permittedplay count field148 had a nonzero value instep286, then thecontroller19 decrements the value of the filed148 instep290. If thecount148 has become zero instep292, thecontroller19 deletes the played program (from the medium9) and the corresponding RPI record both from themedium9 and the RPI table47 instep296. If the permittedplay count148 is still valid instep292, thecontroller19 ends the operation.
• If the registered condition is invalid in[0084]step286, thecontroller19 informs the user of the expiration ofvalid date149 or the exhaustion of permittedplay count148 instep294, and deletes the played program (from the medium9) and the corresponding RPI record both from themedium9 and the RPI table47 instep296.
• It is noted that at the end of this operation, the[0085]controller19 may execute a step likestep272. In this case, thecontroller19 displays a program guide based on the program information table32 instead of the RPI table47 prompting the user to select a program to record without prompting the user to select a program to play.
• According to the present invention, if the user desires to play a[0086]recording medium9, he or she can select a program from the program guide displayed for the recorded programs of therecording medium9.
• In[0087]step286, the validity has been checked by using thefields148 and149. Instead of doing this, the validity may be checked by referring to thecenter3 for the validity of the program.
• Also, a rental video business can be carried out through a broadcasting system according to the invention. Alternatively, a video software vending business may be carried out through the broadcasting system according to the invention as described later.[0088]
• It is noted that the[0089]recorder5 may be configured such that if the user performs a predetermined operation during the above-describedstep278 or288, thecontroller19 displays a recorded program guide for the program being reproduced including related program schedules and recommended program lists relating to the program or the channel being reproduced, while permitting the user to select one of the programs included in the displayed program schedules and the recommended program lists for recording. In response to the program selection by the user, thecontroller19 adds the selected program to the above-mentioned queue.
• Digital Multimedia Tape Recorder[0090]
• FIG. 14 is a schematic block diagram showing an arrangement of an illustrative embodiment of a digital[0091]multimedia tape recorder5awhich is used as therecorder5 of FIG. 1. Thetape recorder5aof FIG. 14 is identical to thedisc recorder5 of FIG. 2 except that theTS processor11, theTS packetizer12, theTS disc recorder13, and thecontroller19 have been replaced with theTS processor11a, TS packetizer12a, aTS tape recorder13aand thecontroller19a. Only the differences are described in the following.
• In recording operation, the[0092]TS processor11asupplies not only packets of programs specified by thecontroller19abut also program information for the programs to the TS packetizer12a. The TS packetizer multiplexes the received packets and the program information into a TS packet stream as shown in FIG. 15. In FIG. 15, slashed parts indicate program information.
• Doing this enables a program guide to be displayed by first forwarding or winding back the[0093]tape9ato a location where the program information is recorded when the user issues a play command. For this purpose, the program information is preferably recorded more frequently. However, there is a limitation on the recording rate of program information (PI). Specifically, the maximum recording rate has to be equal to or greater than the average media MR rate plus the average program information rate. For this reason, the frequency of PI's is periodically adjusted as shown in FIG. 16. In FIG. 16, thecontroller19aobtains the media bit rate MR from theTS processor11ainstep302. A test is made instep304 to see if the media bit rate MR is sufficiently larger than a required rate. If so, the PI insertion frequency is increased. Otherwise, the PI insertion frequency is decreased.
• However, if a plurality of programs of different time periods are recorded in a single tape media, each recorded PI does not necessarily include program information for all the programs recorded on the medium[0094]9a. For this, it is preferable to reserve a predetermined area of the tape, e.g., a head portion of the tape for recording PI for all the recorded programs and to record only amedium ID146 in a predetermined location of the reserved area. It should be noted that the recording operation is preferably performed according to FIG. 6. In this case,step208 is omitted. Instead of omitting thestep208, it is preferable to copy all of the RPI records with the same medium ID as the medium being used to the reserved area when the reserved area is accessed (e.g., when the tape is rewound to the beginning of thetape9a).
• Instead of recording PI together with program data, only the medium ID of the medium[0095]9ais preferably multiplexed with the media data as shown in FIG. 17. In this case, the frequency of medium ID insertion can be much increased as compared with PI insertion. In this case, the playing operation is preferably executed according to the flowchart of FIG. 13. However,step272 is replaced with steps shown in FIG. 18. Specifically, afterstep262 or270, thecontroller19aobtains themedium ID146 from therecording medium9aby first winding in either direction to find themedium ID146 instep371. Instep372 thecontroller19adisplays a program guide for the recorded programs of thetape9afrom the RPI table47 in thestorage device20; and prompts the user to select a program. Then, thecontroller19aproceeds to step274 of FIG. 13. This enables a program guide of the recorded programs to be promptly displayed by a small quantity of winding or rewinding in response to a play or reproduction request from the user.
• The[0096]TS processor15 of FIG. 2 may be omitted as shown in FIG. 19. In FIG. 19, a controller19bsets theswitch14 to the b-side during recording operation and to the a side during playing operation. Though the multimedia recorder5 (FIG. 2) and5a(FIG. 14) permits simultaneous recording and playing, themultimedia recorder5bof FIG. 19 does not. It is apparent to those skilled in the art that the same simplification may be applied to therecorder5aof FIG. 14.
• In the above-described embodiments, the[0097]broadcasting transmitter1 has optionally broadcast the values ofTITLE133, TIME &DATE134,SUBTITLE135, and COUNT IN A SERIAL136 fields for a related program (FIGS. 3 and 4), and the values ofCHANNEL ID132 and TIME &.DATE134 fields for a recommended program (FIG. 5). However, transmitting these data causes the transmission and storage efficiencies to be lowered. In order to raise the transmission and storage efficiencies, thebroadcasting transmitter1 may transmit only a channel ID132 (e.g., the service ID) and a not-shown program ID (e.g., the event ID) unique in the channel as a related program or a recommended program. Themultimedia recorder5 can use thechannel ID132 and the not-shown program ID to access a program information record in the PI table32 associated with the two IDs. Doing this enhances the transmission efficiency and the storage efficiency. However, this technique is only valid for programs the program information of which has been transmitted to to therecorder5. For this reason, it is preferable for thebroadcast transmitter1 to transmit the two IDs for a related or recommended program whose program information has been already broadcast and to transmit the above-mentioned field (133-136 or132-134) values for a related or recommended program whose program information has not yet been broadcast.
• Also, though the above-described embodiments have identified a program information record by using the[0098]channel ID132 and the broadcast time &date134 of the program, a program information record may be identified by using thechannel ID132 and the program ID.
• In the above-described embodiments, the values of the time period fields[0099]138 has been described as transmitted from thetransmitter1. Alternatively, theTS processor11 may monitor the channel configuration of each program. In this case, if theTS processor11 detects a change in the channel configuration of a program, then theTS processor11 stores the start and end times of the channel configuration before the detected change which times are measured from the beginning of the program.
• In the above-described embodiments, the[0100]numeral3 has been described as a video rental center. However, thevideo rental center3 may be replaced with a video software vender's center. In this case, theRENTAL CODE field142 is read as a purchase flag, which has only two states, i.e., a “purchased” state and a “not-purchased” state. Therecorder5 is so arranged as to initially set the purchase flag of a program for sale to the not-purchased state, and set it to the purchased state in response to a receipt of an acknowledgement which is sent from the video software's center after the user has performed a predetermined operation.
• In the above-described embodiments, the TS stream from the[0101]TS packetizer12 has been recorded on therecording medium9. However, any of the MPEG-2 bit stream from theTS processor15, the video and audio digital outputs from the video andaudio decoder16, and the analog video and audio outputs from theelements17 and18 respectively may be recorded on therecording medium9 as is apparent to those skilled in the art.
• It should be noted that the present invention is applicable to a multimedia player without a recording capability as shown in FIG. 20. The[0102]player6 of FIG. 20 is identical to therecorder5 of FIG. 2 except that the elements10-12 and14 have been eliminated and theTS disc recorder13 and thecontroller19 have been replaced with areproducer27 and acontroller19c, respectively. In this embodiment, the recorded program information of each medium is stored only on the recording medium but not in thestorage device20. When a medium is inserted in theplayer27, the program information recorded on the medium is preferably read out in thestorage device20 for subsequent use.
• Many widely different embodiments of the present invention may be constructed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described in the specification, except as defined in the appended claims.[0103]

Claims (41)

What is claimed is:

1. A method of managing recorded programs recorded in a recording medium in a broadcasting system comprising at least one transmitter and a plurality of terminals, wherein each transmitter broadcasts a data stream, a plurality of channels being multiplexed into each data stream, each channel comprising a plurality of programs and wherein each transmitter includes, in the data stream, program information comprising program information (PI) records associated with respective programs available in the broadcasting system, the method comprising the steps of:

each terminal

permitting a user to select a desired one of said programs;

adding said selected program to a recording queue which keeps program-identifying data sets in order of broadcast start time;

recording on said recording medium a program identified by one of said program-identifying data sets in a first position of said recording queue;

recording a program information record of said recorded program in a predetermined area on said recording medium;

in response to a reception of a playing request from the user, displaying a program guide for said recorded programs recorded on said recording medium;

prompting the user to select one of said recorded programs for play; and

in response to the user selecting said one of said recorded programs, playing said selected recorded program to provide video and/or audio output(s).

2. A method as defined inclaim 1, further including the step of said at least one transmitter optionally including broadcast schedules for programs relating to each program in said program information, wherein if there are any broadcast schedules for related programs relating to said recorded programs, said program guide includes said any broadcast schedules, wherein said prompting step includes permitting the user to select one of said related programs, and wherein the method further includes the step of, in response to, the user selecting said one of said related programs, each terminal adding said selected related program to said recording queue.

3. A method as defined inclaim 2, further including the step of said at least one transmitter optionally including a recommended program list relating to a program or a channel in said program information, wherein said displaying step includes displaying recommended program information relating to said recorded programs and to channels including said recorded programs, and wherein said permitting the user to select one of said related programs includes permitting the user to select one of said related programs and programs included in said recommended program information.

4. A method as defined inclaim 1, wherein said step of permitting a user to select a desired one of said programs includes the step of permitting a user to select such a program as is to be broadcast concurrently with at least one program which is registered in said recording queue and which is included in a same data stream that includes such said program, wherein said recording step includes the steps of:

extracting such said program and said at least one program from said same data stream;

converting said such said program and said at least one program into a time-division-multiplexed packet stream in a same form as said data stream; and

recording said time-division-multiplexed packet stream on said recording media.

5. A method as defined inclaim 1, wherein said step of permitting a user to select a desired one of said programs includes the step of permitting a user to select one of video channels and one of audio channels, said video and audio channels constituting said desired program, wherein said recording step includes the steps of:

extracting video data of said selected video channel and audio data of said selected audio channel from a data stream including said video and audio channels;

converting said video data and said audio data into a time-division-multiplexed packet stream in a same form as said data stream; and

recording said time-division-multiplexed packet stream on said recording media.

6. A method as defined inclaim 5, further including the step of each transmitter including, in said PI record of each of programs that varies in its channel configuration in a middle of duration thereof, time periods for respective channel configurations of the program and a channel configuration for each of said time period, each channel configuration indicating said video and audio channels that constitute the program for a time period associated with said each channel configuration, wherein said step of permitting a user and said displaying step includes the step of displaying said time periods and corresponding channel configurations, and wherein said selecting one of video channels and one of audio channels includes selecting, for each time period, a video and a audio channel from a channel configuration associated with the time period.

7. A method as defined inclaim 2, wherein said including said broadcast schedules for related programs includes including only broadcast schedules for related programs that have not yet been broadcast.

8. A method as defined inclaim 2, wherein if there are any broadcast schedules for related programs-relating to said recorded programs, said program guide includes only broadcast schedules for related programs which relates to said recorded programs and which have not yet been broadcast.

9. A method as defined inclaim 1, further including the steps of:

said transmitter including, in said PI record of each of programs, a code indicative of whether the program is for rental and, if the program is for rental, a center telephone number;

the user selecting a recorded program with an indication of rental;

said terminal permitting the user to applying for a rent of said selected recorded program;

including a limit value determined by said application in said PI record of said selected recorded program; and

only if said limit value is not reached, permitting an executing of said playing step.

10. A method as defined inclaim 9, further including the steps of:

said transmitter transmitting label information for use in printing a label to be put on said recording medium; and

printing at least a part of said label information on a label.

11. A method as defined inclaim 1, wherein said recording medium is a removable disc medium.

12. A method as defined inclaim 1, wherein said recording medium is a removable tape medium, wherein said step of recording a program includes the step of recording said program and PI record associated with said program in time-division-multiplexing.

13. A method as defined inclaim 12, wherein said step of recording said program and PI record including the steps of adjusting a recording frequency of said PI record according to a possible maximum recording rate minus a transmission rate required for said program.

14. A method as defined inclaim 1, further including the steps of

when a recording medium is recorded for the first time, recording a medium ID unique to said recording medium at a predetermined location in said predetermined area of said recording medium;

including, in said PI record of each of recorded programs of recording media that have been recorded by said terminal, said medium ID of a recording medium storing the recorded program;

including, in said PI record of each of recorded programs of recording media that have been recorded by said terminal, a recorded program ID unique to the recorded program;

storing, in a storage device, all of said PI records for said recorded programs of recording media that have been recorded by said terminal, and

permitting the user to retrieve a desired program.

15. A method as defined inclaim 14, wherein said recording media is a removable disc medium, wherein the method further includes the steps of, each time of loading said disc media, updating relevant PI records stored in said storage device.

16. A method as defined inclaim 1, wherein said recording medium is a removable tape medium and wherein the method further includes the steps of

when a recording medium is recorded for the first time, recording a medium ID unique to said recording medium at a predetermined location in said predetermined area of said recording medium;

including, in said PI record of each of recorded programs of recording media that have been recorded by said terminal, said medium ID of a recording medium storing the recorded program;

including, in said PI record of each of recorded programs of recording media that have been recorded by said terminal, a recorded program ID unique to the recorded program;

storing, in a storage device, all of said PI records for said recorded programs of recording media that have been recorded by said terminal, and

at a time of accessing a neighborhood of said predetermined area, copying said PI records of programs recorded on said recording medium which are stored in said storage device to said predetermined area of said recording medium, wherein said step of displaying a program guide uses said PI records stored in said storage device.

17. A method as defined inclaim 16, wherein said step of recording a program includes the step of recording said program and said medium ID in time-division-multiplexing, said medium ID being recorded in a raised frequency, wherein the method further includes the step of, at a time of loading said medium, obtaining said medium ID by winding said tape in either direction; and wherein said step of displaying a program guide includes the step of reading said PI records stored in said storage device by using said obtained medium ID.

18. A multimedia terminal capable of managing recorded programs recorded in a recording medium in a broadcasting system comprising at least one transmitter and a plurality of terminals, wherein each transmitter broadcasts a data stream, a plurality of channels being multiplexed into each data stream, each channel comprising a plurality of programs and wherein each transmitter includes, in the data stream, program information comprising program information (PI) records associated with respective programs available in the broadcasting system, the multimedia terminal comprising:

means for permitting a user to select a desired one of said programs;

means for adding said selected program to a recording queue which keeps program-identifying data sets in order of broadcast start time;

means for recording on said recording medium a program identified by one of said program-identifying data sets in a first position of said recording queue;

means for recording a program information record of said recorded program in a predetermined area on said recording medium;

means, responsive to a reception of a playing request from the user, for displaying a program guide for said recorded programs recorded on said recording medium;

means for prompting the user to select one of said recorded programs for play; and

means, response to the user selecting said one of said recorded programs, for playing said selected recorded program to provide video and/or audio output(s).

19. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 18, wherein broadcast schedules for programs relating to each program are optionally included in said program information, wherein said means for displaying a program guide includes means, activated in the event there are any broadcast schedules for related programs relating to said recorded programs, for including said any broadcast schedules in said program guide, wherein said prompting means includes means for permitting the user to select one of said related programs, and wherein the multimedia terminal further includes means, responsive to the user selecting said one of said related programs, for adding said selected related program to said recording queue.

20. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 18, wherein said playing means includes:

means, responsive to a predetermined input by the user, for displaying a program information for said selected recorded program, said program information including information on related programs relating to said selected recorded program;

means for permitting the user to selecting one of said related programs for recording; and

means, responsive to the user selecting said one of said related programs, for adding said selected related program to said recording queue.

21. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 19, wherein said related programs are serialized programs.

22. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 20, wherein said related programs are serialized programs.

23. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 19, wherein a recommended program list relating to a program or a channel is optionally included in said program information, wherein said means for displaying a program guide includes means for displaying recommended program information relating to said recorded programs and to channels including said recorded programs, and wherein said means for permitting the user to select one of said related programs includes means for permitting the user to select one of said related programs and programs included in said recommended program information.

24. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 18, wherein said means for permitting a user to select a desired one of said programs includes means for permitting a user to select such a program as is to be broadcast concurrently with at least one program which is registered in said recording queue and which is included in a same data stream that includes such said program, wherein said recording means includes:

means for extracting such said program and said at least one program from said same data stream;

means for converting said such said program and said at least one program into a time-division-multiplexed packet stream in a same form as said data stream; and

means for recording said time-division-multiplexed packet stream on said recording media.

25. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 18, wherein said means for permitting a user to select a desired one of said programs includes means for permitting a user to select one of video channels and one of audio channels, said video and audio channels constituting said desired program, wherein said recording means includes:

means for extracting video data of said selected video channel and audio data of said selected audio channel from a data stream including said video and audio channels;

means for converting said video data and said audio data into a time-division-multiplexed packet stream in a same form as said data stream; and

means for recording said time-division-multiplexed packet stream on said recording media.

26. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 25, wherein said PI record of each of programs that varies in its channel configuration in a middle of duration thereof includes time periods for respective channel configurations of the program and a channel configuration for each of said time period, each channel configuration indicating said video and audio channels that constitute the program for a time period associated with said each channel configuration, wherein said means for permitting a user and said displaying means includes means for displaying said time periods and corresponding channel configurations, and wherein said means for permitting a user to select one of video channels and one of audio channels includes means for selecting, for each time period, a video and a audio channel from a channel configuration associated with the time period.

27. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 19 wherein said broadcast schedules for related programs includes only broadcast schedules for related programs that have not yet been broadcast.

28. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 19, wherein said means for including said any broadcast schedules in said program guide includes means for including only broadcast schedules for related programs which relates to said recorded programs and which have not yet been broadcast.

29. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 18, wherein said PI record of each of programs includes a code indicative of whether the program is for rental and, if the program is for rental, a center telephone number, and wherein the multimedia terminal further includes:

means for permitting the user to elect a recorded program with an indication of rental;

means for permitting the user to applying for a rent of said selected recorded program;

means for including a limit value determined by said application in said PI record of said selected recorded program; and

means, activated only in the event said limit value is not reached, for permitting an executing of said playing step.

30. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 29, further including:

means for receiving, from said broadcasting transmitter, label information for use in printing a label to be put on said recording medium; and

means for printing at least a part of said label information on a label.

31. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 18, wherein said recording medium is a removable disc medium.

32. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 18, wherein said recording medium is a removable tape medium, wherein said means for recording a program includes means for recording said program and PI record associated with said program on said recording medium.

33. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 32, wherein said means for recording said program and PI record including means for adjusting a recording frequency of said PI record according to a possible maximum recording rate minus a transmission rate required for said program.

34. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 18, further including:

means, activated when a recording medium is recorded for the first time, for recording a medium ID unique to said recording medium at a predetermined location in said predetermined area of said recording medium;

means for including, in said PI record of each of recorded programs of recording media that have been recorded by said terminal, said medium ID of a recording medium storing the recorded program;

means for including, in said PI record of each of recorded programs of recording media that have been recorded by said terminal, a recorded program ID unique to the recorded program;

means for storing, in a storage device, all of said PI records for said recorded programs of recording media that have been recorded by said terminal, and

means for permitting the user to retrieve a desired program.

35. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 34, wherein said recording media is a removable disc medium, wherein the multimedia terminal further includes means, activated each time of loading said disc media, for updating relevant PI records stored in said storage device.

36. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 18, wherein said recording medium is a removable tape medium and wherein the multimedia terminal further includes:

means, activated when a recording medium is recorded for the first time, for recording a medium ID unique to said recording medium at a predetermined location in said predetermined area of said recording medium;

means for including, in said PI record of each of recorded programs of recording media that have been recorded by said terminal, said medium ID of a recording medium storing the recorded program;

means for including, in said PI record of each of recorded programs of recording media that have been recorded by said terminal, a recorded program ID unique to the recorded program;

means for storing, in a storage device, all of said PI records for said recorded programs of recording media that have been recorded by said terminal, and

means, activated at a time of accessing a neighborhood of said predetermined area, for copying said PI records of programs recorded on said recording medium which are stored in said storage device to said predetermined area of said recording medium, wherein said means for displaying a program guide uses said PI records stored in said storage device.

37. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 36, wherein said means for recording a program includes means for recording said program and said medium ID in time-division-multiplexing, said medium ID being recorded in a raised frequency, wherein the multimedia terminal further includes means, activated at a time of loading said medium, for obtaining said medium ID by winding said tape in either direction; and wherein said means for displaying a program guide includes means for reading said PI records stored in said storage device by using said obtained medium ID.

38. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 18, wherein said PI record of each of programs includes a code indicative of whether the program is for rental and, if the program is for rental, a center telephone number, and wherein the multimedia terminal further includes:

means for permitting the user to elect a recorded program with an indication of rental;

means for permitting the user to applying for a rent of said selected recorded program;

means, responsive to a request for playing one of rental programs, for referring to a rental center for a validity of said one of said rental program; and

means, activated only in the event said one of said rental program is valid, for enabling said playing means.

39. A multimedia reproducer for reproducing recorded programs recorded on a recording medium, wherein program information comprising program information (PI) records associated with said recorded programs is also recorded on the recording medium, the multimedia reproducer comprising:

means, responsive to a reception of a reproducing request from the user, for displaying a program guide for said recorded programs and prompting the user to select one of said recorded programs for play; and

means, response to the user selecting said one of said recorded programs, for reproducing said selected recorded program.

40. A multimedia reproducer as defined inclaim 39, wherein said PI record of each of programs includes a code indicative of whether the program is for rental and, if the program is for rental, a center telephone number, and wherein the multimedia reproducer further includes:

means for permitting the user to elect a recorded program with an indication of rental;

means for permitting the user to applying for a rent of said selected recorded program;

means for including a limit value determined by said application in said PI record of said selected recorded program; and

means, activated only in the event said limit value is not reached, for enabling said playing means.

41. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 40, further including:

means for receiving, from external, label information for use in printing a label to be put on said recording medium; and

means for printing at least a part of said label information on a label.

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